The present invention relates to a cushioning pad and more particularly relates to a cushioning pad which may be used on oil rigs for workers to stand on to relieve pressure on adjacent portions of the user's anatomy.
Many professions and occupations require that the individual worker stand for long periods of time. On a typical oil rig, workers move tools, drill bits, coiled write and rope across the metal and concrete portions of the rig. Long periods of standing, particularly on hard floors, often results in fatigue, tired legs, sore hips and back. In fact, it is estimated that some seventy five percent of the American public has back pain and over one half of the oil rig workers has back fatigue. Numerous clinics have been set up along the Gulf Coast of the United States, in particular to handle retraining of employees, and teaching workers from oil rigs how to deal with chronic pain.
The present invention has been designed for use on an oil rig to improve fatigue. Generally, a fatigue mat consists of carpeting or some sort of foam or shock absorbing and backings which are placed around work areas, such as machines or otherwise. These mats serve to somewhat cushion the effects of hard surfaces. However, in areas where heavy equipment is used, the mats deform easily and become a tripping hazard. A need has existed for a mat which can sustain heavy equipment pressure, such as from heavy wire cables and tools, without deforming which does not form a tripping hazard and can be removably affixed to an oil rig.
Additionally, the need has existed for a fatigue mat which can tolerate oil, water or chemicals that may spill upon them and make them slippery and therefore unsafe. Additionally, mats are needed which tolerate the existence of or facilitate the flow away of debris, and metal fillings and screws which may otherwise be imbedded in flat mats.
The present invention has been designed with a unique channel construction and a unique rib construction using conventional water resistant materials which are capable of being painted safety yellow to reduce the ability of debris from standing on the mat, by providing a flow away channel, which is removably affixable should the mat become damaged or worn out from use.
The present invention is different from the foot cushioning devices of U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,826 and the inner sole pad of U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,055. Also, it is unlike the folding mat shown in the folding mat and shelter of U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,463, the mat holder made of a flexible material for floor mats shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,235, the cushioning pad of U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,055 which is for footwear and U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,255, the cage mat for chickens which forms a padded mat. The closest discovered art is the pavement mat of U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,948, but this invention is related to use on road surfaces, and hence is not considered prior art to the present invention which is for oil rigs.